1. ELECTROLYSIS

2. What is a redox reaction?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Oxidation is the addition of oxygen to a substance and
reduction is the removal of oxygen from a substance.
Which substances are oxidized and reduced in this reaction?
oxygen removed
reduction
lead oxide +
carbon
lead
carbon monoxide 
oxygen added
oxidation
Reduction and oxidation always take place together. Why is this type of reaction called a redox reaction?
redox = reduction and oxidation

3. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Redox and electrons
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide.
It is obvious that the magnesium has been oxidized, but what has happened to the oxygen?
A redox reaction can also be explained in terms of the gain or loss of electrons.
Photo credit: Jeronen Ven
Sparks produced by the combustion of magnesium.
What happens to the atoms and electrons in this reaction?
magnesium + oxygen magnesium oxide 
2Mg(s)
O2(g)
2MgO(s) +

4. Oxidation and electron loss
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
When magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide, what happens to magnesium and its electrons?
oxidized
(electrons lost)  Mg
Mg2+
O2- O +
The magnesium has been oxidized.
The Mg atom has lost 2 electrons to form a Mg2+ ion.
Oxidation is the loss of electrons.

5. Oxidation and electron gain
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
When magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide, what happens to oxygen and its electrons?
reduced
(electrons gained)  Mg
Mg2+
O2- O +
The oxygen has been reduced.
The O atom has gained 2 electrons to form a O2- ion.
Reduction is the loss of electrons.

6. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Redox and OILRIG
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
An easy way to remember what happens to the electrons during oxidation and reduction is to think… OILRIG!
Teacher notes
This illustration can be used to introduce ‘OILRIG’, which is the well-known mnemonic for remembering the difference between oxidation and reduction, i.e. “Oxidation is Loss, Reduction is Gain”. The scene shows the “REDOX” oil rig, where a helicopter is transferring workers (electrons) to and from the rig and so it can also be used to show that redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons.

7. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Using OILRIG
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
What does OILRIG stand for in terms of redox reactions?
Oxidation Is
Loss of electrons
Reduction Is
Gain of electrons

8. What is a half-equation?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons.
Equations written to show what happens to the electrons during oxidation and reduction are called half-equations.
What are the half-equations for the oxidation and reduction processes in this reaction?
magnesium + oxygen magnesium oxide 
2Mg (s)
O2 (g)
2MgO (s) +
oxidation: Mg  Mg e-
reduction: O2 + 4e-  2O2-

9. What are ionic compounds?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Ionic compounds are made up of positive metal ions and negative non-metal ions. What ions are in sodium chloride?
positive sodium ions
negative chloride ions
Photo credit: © 2007 Jupiterimages Corporation
The image show salted pretzels.
The positive and negative ions in an ionic compound attract each other strongly. It takes a lot of energy to separate them.
How does structure affect the properties of ionic compounds?

10. Do molten ionic compounds conduct?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

11. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
What is electrolysis?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
An ionic compound conducts electricity when it is molten or in solution. The current causes the ionic compound
to split up and form new substances.
This process is called electrolysis,
a word which comes from Greek
and means “splitting by electricity”.
Electrolysis has many uses, including:
purifying copper
plating metals with silver and gold
extracting reactive metals, such as aluminium
making chlorine, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide.

12. What happens during electrolysis?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
In electrolysis, the substance that the current passes through and splits up is called the electrolyte.
The electrolyte contains positive and negative ions.
What happens to these ions during electrolysis?
heat
Negative ions move
to the positive electrode and lose electrons.
This is oxidation.
Positive ions move
to the negative electrode and gain electrons.
This is reduction.

13. Electrolysis of molten lead bromide
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

14. Electrolysis of molten PbBr2 – redox equations
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
What redox processes occur at the electrodes during the electrolysis of molten lead bromide (PbBr2)?
At the negative electrode:
Pb2+ + 2e-  Pb (reduction)
At the positive electrode:
2Br-  Br2 + 2e- (oxidation)
What is the overall equation for the electrolysis of molten lead bromide ?
lead bromide  lead + bromine
PbBr2 (l)  Pb (l) + Br2 (g)

15. Why and how is aluminium extracted?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Aluminium is one of the most useful metals in the world.
Electrolysis is used to extract aluminium from its ore. Why is it not possible to extract aluminium by heating its ore with carbon?
Aluminium ore (bauxite) has a very high melting point (2050 °C).
Photo credit (top right): © 2007 Jupiterimages Corporation
Aluminum drinks cans
Photo credit (bottom left): Dr John Mileham
Aluminium ore (bauxite)
For electrolysis, the ore is dissolved in
a compound called cryolite (Na3AlF6), which lowers the melting point to 700 °C.
Why is this important economically?

16. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Extracting aluminium
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

17. Extracting aluminium – redox equations
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
What redox processes occur at the electrodes during the electrolysis of aluminium oxide (Al2O3)?
At the negative electrode:
Al3+ + 3e-  Al (reduction)
At the positive electrode:
2O2-  O2 + 4e- (oxidation)
What is the overall equation for the extraction of aluminium by electrolysis?
aluminium oxide  aluminium + oxygen
2 Al2O3 (l)  4 Al (l) + 3 O2 (g)

18. What are the products of electrolysis?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Teacher notes
This drag and drop activity provides the opportunity for informal assessment of students’ understanding of the products of electrolysis.

19. Purifying copper using electrolysis
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

20. Purifying copper – redox equations
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
What happens at the electrodes during the purification of copper by electrolysis ?
At the negative electrode:
Cu2+ + 2e-  Cu (reduction)
At the positive electrode:
Cu  Cu2+ + 2e- (oxidation)
This process is carried out on a huge scale in industry and
the copper formed on the negative electrodes is 99.99% pure.
Photo credit: Chris R Sharp / Science Photo Library
Copper refinery worker removes copper-coated electrodes from an electrolytic bath.
The precious metals recovered from the impurities are also sold off and help to make this industrial process profitable.

21. Purifying copper – true or false?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Teacher notes
This true-or-false quiz could be used as a summary exercise to work on purifying metals. Students could be given coloured traffic light cards (red = false, green = true) to vote on the statements shown. To stretch students, they could be asked to explain their voting.

22. Electrolysis of NaCl solution
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

23. Products of electrolysis of NaCl solution
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
The electrolysis of sodium chloride solution produces three very useful products:
Chlorine used for killing bacteria in water, for bleach and making plastics like PVC.
Hydrogen used for making margarine and fertilizers, and for rocket fuel.
Sodium hydroxide used in many chemical reactions, such as making soap, neutralizing acids and making paper.
Chlorine is expected as a product of this process but hydrogen and sodium hydroxide are surprising products.
What happens at the electrodes to form these products?

24. How does the chlorine form?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
In the electrolysis of NaCl solution, the negative chloride ions
(Cl-) are attracted to the
positive electrode.
Here, the Cl- ions lose
electrons to make
chlorine atoms, which then
form chlorine molecules (Cl2).
Are the Cl- ions oxidized or reduced?
How many electrons are lost by each Cl- ion?
How many Cl- ions join to make a Cl2 molecule?
What is the half-equation for this redox process?
oxidized
one
two
2Cl-  Cl2 + 2e- (oxidation)

25. Why is sodium not formed?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
In the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution, the Na+ ions might be expected
to form sodium at the negative electrode.
Instead, hydrogen gas is produced here.
This is because sodium chloride solution also contains H+ ions from some of the water: H2O (l)  H+ (aq) + OH- (aq).
At the negative electrode, the H+ ions compete with the Na+ ions. The H+ ions gain electrons; the Na+ ions stay in solution.
For all ionic compounds containing a metal that is more reactive than hydrogen, electrolysis of a solution of the compound will produce hydrogen rather than the metal.

26. How does the hydrogen form?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
In the electrolysis of NaCl solution, the positive hydrogen ions
(H+) are attracted to the
negative electrode.
Here, the H+ ions
gain electrons to make
hydrogen atoms, which then
form hydrogen molecules (H2).
Are the H+ ions oxidized or reduced?
How many electrons are gained by each H+ ion?
How many H+ ions join to make a H2 molecule?
What is the half-equation for this redox process?
reduced
one
two
2H+ + 2e-  H2 (reduction)

27. How does the sodium hydroxide form?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Sodium chloride solution has four types of ions:
Na+ and Cl- ions from the sodium chloride
H+ and OH- ions from the water.
The Cl- ions form chlorine at the positive electrode and the H+ ions form hydrogen at the negative electrode. So, what’s left?
Na+ and OH- ions are left behind and so a solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is formed.
What is the overall equation for the electrolysis of a sodium chloride solution?
2NaCl (aq) + 2H2O (l)  H2 (g) + Cl2 (g) + 2NaOH (aq)

28. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Hydrogen or metal?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
If an ionic compound contains a metal
that is more reactive than hydrogen, electrolysis of a solution of the compound will produce hydrogen, not the metal.
potassium
sodium
calcium
magnesium
aluminium
zinc
iron
copper
gold
lead
silver
(carbon)
(hydrogen)
platinum
increasing reactivity
Complete the table for these compounds.
potassium chloride
copper sulphate
sodium bromide
silver nitrate
zinc chloride
Ionic compound
Product at the negative electrode
hydrogen
copper
hydrogen
silver
hydrogen

29. Electrolysis of dilute sulfuric acid
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Electrolysis can be used to split water (H2O) into its elements, hydrogen and oxygen.
This is how hydrogen for fuel cells can be made and how oxygen can be produced from water on spacecraft.
Water is a covalent compound and so is
a poor conductor of electricity. However,
it does contain a few free H+ and OH- ions:
H2O (l)  H+ (aq) + OH- (aq).
The conductivity of water can be improved by adding dilute sulfuric acid. This releases more ions so that more current flows during electrolysis, which creates hydrogen and oxygen.
Which product will form at each electrode?

30. Electrolysis of dilute sulfuric acid
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry

31. Electrolysis of dilute H2SO4 – redox equations
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
What happens at the electrodes during the electrolysis of dilute sulfuric acid?
At the negative electrode:
2H+ + 2e-  H2 (reduction)
At the positive electrode:
4OH-  2H2O + O2 + 4e- (oxidation)
What is the overall equation for the electrolysis of dilute sulfuric acid?
2H2O (l)  2H2 (g) + O2 (g)
Twice as much hydrogen forms as oxygen. Why is this?
In water, there are 2 hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom, so the ratio by volume, of H2 to O2, is 2:1.

32. Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry Electrochemistry
Glossary
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
electrode – A solid conductor of electricity, which is used to make electrical contact with an electrolyte.
electrolysis – The process which uses electricity to split up compounds.
electrolyte – A substance which conducts electricity and can be split up by a current when molten or in solution.
ions – Charged particles formed when atoms lose or gain electrons.
oxidation – A type of reaction involving the gain of oxygen or the loss of electrons.
redox – A type of reaction in which oxidation and reduction take place at the same time.
reduction – A type of reaction involving the loss of oxygen or the gain of electrons.

33. What is involved in electrolysis?
Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Teacher notes
This drag and drop activity could be used to check students’ understanding of the products of electrolysis.